1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a package for a pre-pasted orthodontic bracket. In particular, the invention relates to a package that supports the bracket in place while keeping the pre-pasted portion free from contact with any surface of the package.
2. The Prior Art
Modern orthodontic techniques include repositioning teeth that are misaligned, too close together or otherwise mis-positioned. In order to reposition the teeth, the teeth are connected to an arch wire that serves as a guide, urging the teeth into the desired position and orientation. In order to connect the teeth to the arch wire, small brackets with slots for receiving the arch wire are attached to the teeth. The brackets are usually attached to a patient's teeth by means of an adhesive.
Applying an appropriate amount of adhesive to the base of a bracket can be a time consuming and tedious. Too little adhesive may result in the bracket coming loose from the tooth after installation, while excessive amounts of adhesive will be pushed out from between the bracket and tooth, requiring removal. Further, while two-part chemically curing adhesive systems are available for bonding orthodontic brackets to a patient's teeth, many practitioners prefer photo sensitive adhesives that are cured upon exposure to light in the visible spectrum for a relatively short period. Consequently, time is also a factor insofar as the adhesive applied to the bracket can only be exposed to visible light for a limited period before the bracket is positioned on the tooth.
In order to address these issues, pre-pasted orthodontic appliances were developed. Pre-pasted orthodontic appliances have an adhesive, normally a photo sensitive, light curing adhesive, applied to the base of the bracket before the bracket is packaged. Pre-pasted brackets reduce the amount of time required to install brackets on the patient's teeth by eliminating the need for the orthodontist to apply the adhesive to the bracket. Pre-pasted brackets also reduce the amount of wasted adhesive as the manufacturer can precisely control the amount and placement of the adhesive on the base of the bracket.
Packaging for brackets with a pre-applied light curing adhesive must protect the adhesive from exposure to light, as well as from contamination and evaporation. Further, if the adhesive adheres to the package, the adhesive coating may be disturbed when the bracket is removed from the package. In addition, the package should present the bracket to the orthodontist in a fashion that facilitates quick and convenient removal of the bracket from the package. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,381,053 discloses a package for a pre-pasted orthodontic bracket in which the bracket is suspended on a skirt that holds the bracket above the bottom of the packaging. U.S. Pat. No. 4,978,007 shows a package where the bracket is suspended on a jig that extends across a cavity in the package, so that the adhesive does not contact the bottom of the package.
While these packages prevent the adhesive from contacting the walls of the packaging, they are expensive and cumbersome to produce, usually requiring several different parts that have to be assembled.